The Yakima Herald has a great story about an Army Captain who helped resettle his Iraqi translator and his family:
Gence not only paid for the family’s airfare from Jordan to Seattle and pressured immigration officers to speed up the visa application process, but also spent many hours helping the family find social services and a home in their new community.
Hoping to make their transition easier, Gence also linked Mohammed’s family with residents throughout the Yakima Valley, including Dwight Miller, who met the family for the first time two weeks ago.
Miller and his 14-year-old son, George, helped to move the Iraqi family into their new home — an apartment Gence helped snag through a Yakima organization that assists low-income families. The Millers worked alongside the family to unload furniture, including a kitchen table, chairs and new couches, from a U-Haul truck Gence drove from Seattle. Gence said all the furniture was donated by his friends. Others donated money and gift cards.
While relocating Iraqi allies who are in danger is a huge part of ameliorating their plight, many who have relocated may find the adjustment to a new country difficult. That is why Gence’s efforts, and those of generous people like him, are so important in helping Iraqi refugees not only relocate, but resettle and adjust to a new life.